Giveaway- Expedition Ireland Download N Go

Ok, I will be honest.  I was really excited to do this unit study.  I have a little Irish blood, and probably more then a little Irish temper  (Please don't ask my husband about this).  But I was blown away by the magnificent beauty of this little island.  There is more packed into this week then I can possibly cover here, but some of our favorites were learning about the Giant's Causeway, Irish animals, and St. Patrick.

Starting with amazingly picturesque aerial videos, and ending with a lapbook full of your own child's creativity, we loved this Download N Go!  You will journey through the land of Ireland, and meet all sort of interesting animals, visit amazing geographic landscapes, and have a lot of fun doing it.  A wordsearch, lapbook pieces (including a great pop-up), time-and-temperature pages, and animal worksheets are all part of the fun.  Of course, we especially love the drawing pages which have pretty borders or neat backgrounds for the kids to create their art on.

One of our favorite aspects of any of the Download N Go studies are all the great links.   There are links to all kinds of webpages, with all the information you want.  The best part?  The video clips.  Expedition Ireland includes videos for all sort of interesting subjects, from Irish music and dancing to the making of hand-blown crystal!  You will get everything you need right in the study, and if you need even more learning you can use the extensive book lists and extra links.

I really enjoy using Download N Go studies because everythign is so simple.  these studies are packed SO full of info, but the planning and organizing has all been done for you.  Each day is planned out, and all you have to do is read through the pages and click on the links when you come to them.  The only preparation I do is spent 15 minutes ahead of time, printing out the pages that I will want to do.  One of my online friends, Tristan at Our Busy Homeschool sometimes uses these studies without printing anything.  She just has her little ones read through it and visit the links.


Visit Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett to learn about all her great downloads and don't forget to pick up your free samples while you are there!  Just click on the pictures to go to each study and take a peek inside.

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Giveaway:  

Amanda Bennett has generously offered to give a copy of Expedition Ireland away to one of you!  I feel like keeping things simple today, so I am only going to offer a few ways to enter.  Don't forget to leave your e-mail in your comment, or otherwise give we a way to contact you!

1.  For your first entry, just leave a comment below.  


2. For an additional entry, go to this page and let me know which of the $5 sale items you are most interested in.


3. For one last entry, visit Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett and tell me what you would like to see featured in her next $5 sale!  

I will leave this contest open until next Friday, the 25th.  I will be selecting the winner with Random.org.  

Have fun and good luck!

Review: Curiosity Files Blue Footed Booby

What has blue feet, dives from 80 feet into the air, and dances for his wife?  The Blue-footed Booby, of course!  What one thing do you need to buy to make a study quick, easy and fun?  The Curiosity Files.

The Curiosty Files are great little studies on all sorts of interesting, unique, and sometimes, downright wierd things.  Animals, bugs, diseases... there are all sorts of crazy evolution-defying critters to learn about in this world!  And Professor Ana Lize is the perfect one to tell you about them!  Written in a friendly manner and chock-full of really interesting tidbits and trivia, there is a lot here for many different interests and abilities.  The text was just great, it had all the information we needed, it was simple and easy to read without being dumbed down, and it was wrote in such a friendly, conversational way that is is completely un-intimidating. 

We received the Blue Footed Booby Curiosity File and all the kids were really excited to start it.  I especially enjoyed how relaxed the study was.  You can plan it however you would like, or if you are in the mood for an easy week or two, don't plan it at all!  This is not typically the way I do school but it was exactly what I needed this week.  It begins with the text- the heart of the study.  Then there are math pages, acitivy sheets, experiment ideas, and lots more.  It includes puzzles to print, such as a word search, and even a few lapbook pieces.

We totally enjoyed the Curiosity File.  There were parts of it that had information that was way over my kids' heads, but it was perfect for the suggested ages of 8-13.  I was actually surprised at how much of this we could do, and I think it is a perfect tool for large families with lots of different ages.  One of the features that we used with much success was the page with word problems for younger ages.  This was perfect for Bop, in first grade.  We also liked the inclusion of hands-on activities, like measuring the 'wingspans' of our family members!  How fun!   

This unit study had a lot about creation, evolution, and why the Blue-Footed Booby turns the evolution theory on it's head.  My kids found this a little confusing, but remember that we were modifying this to suit younger ages.  There were several pages of copywork, which were Bible verses in both manuscript and cursive.  We were able to do quiet a few of the activities and pages, and the kids really enjoyed them.  Baby Girl even colored a picture, in which she was very careful to make the feet blue.  Then she proceeded to color the rest of the bird green and pink, but she got the important parts right, I guess!

The biggest downside to this unit study may be the lack of planning.  If you are a mama who needs to know what you are going to be doing every day of the week, and if you like things all planned out for you, these may not be the unit study programs for you.  However, they would be very easy to plan out so that is not a problem if you are a planner who tweaks everything anyway.  :)

If I had children in the suggested age ranges working on this study, I would just forget the planning completely.  Just sit the down in front of the computer or have it all printed out and ready, and let them go at it.  I think most kids will love these studies enough to be very self-motivated with them.

You can visit The Old School house to find all of the Curiosity Files.  They offer a value pack where you can get all nine units for $49.00 on CD or $46.00 as an instant download.  You can also purchase them individually at the Old Schoolhouse store.

Don't forget to check out the Old Schoolhouse Crew blog for more reviews of this and many other great products!

I received this product free of charge

as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew,

for review purposes. I promise to be honest

and fair in my reviews, and I received no

other compensation in exchange for my review.

You can visit The Old Schoolhouse Crew blog

to read more reviews on this product.

George Washington Download N Go Review

"Mommy, was Grandpa in the 'Revolate-a-lutionary' war?"

Okay, time for more early American history!  In fact, it's time for another fun Download N Go-  This time, George Washington.  I love to teach my children about the great Christian men who formed this country, and Download N Gos are a great way to do that.  They have several units to get you started, including Constitution Celebration and Ben Franklin, as well as George Washington.

Download N Gos are week-long unit studies with accompanying lapbook pieces that you can print and use.  However, there is so much more here then just lesson plans!  They have everythign you need, right in the PDF file.  All of the information is found in the links that are embedded where you need them, right in the study.  You can just click on a link and read all about the subject.  The study is organized by day, and all you have to do is read through each day and go to the links as you come to them.  No extra planning for mom!  There are several long book lists available if you want to have additional reading, but they are not needed to complete the study.  This is great for those of us living in rural areas with tiny libraries!

I was a little disappointed with this Download N Go because there were not as many movies as in some.  We really enjoy the embedded videos a lot!  I am sure that my kids learned just as much through the websites and books, though.  They didn't even seem to notice.  Most of the Download N Go studies have lots of these great videos, which are great for all learning types (and moms, too).

While doing this Download N Go we got to learn all sorts of interesting things about our first president and commander of the Continental Army.  CJ's favorite part was learning about the Washington Monument, for some reason.  They both loved doing the little 'picture journals' for their lapbooks while we learned about Mr. Washington's own journaling habit.  The thought-provoking quotes scattered through the pages were an extra treat.  If we were spending more time on this I would love to use these for memorization and copywork.  This is a great example of how these studies can be stretched for older children as well as the recommended K-4th grade users.

This Download N Go had a lot of great journaling, copywork, drawing pages, and lapbook pieces to use.  We always enjoy the drawing pages the best, and CJ was very excited to learn that he would get to draw the Washington Monument!  I don't know why that appealed to him so much but he wanted to hear all about it and see lots of pictures.  He added doors and windows to his Monument, so it pretty much looks like a tall house, but oh, well.... perfection is not the goal, right?

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Click here to visit Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

School Days, School Daze! Part One, Planning day-to-day

Thinking about homeschooling -with all the requirements, goals, tests, books and options- can put even the most determined mom in a "Where is that yellow bus?!" mood.  Add in the uncertainty and unlimited options of unit studies, and you may end up in a real school daze!  But it is not as hard as it sounds, and once you get started, unit studies can be easier then a lot of other schooling methods.

I wanted to write a page detailing our planning and organizing.  But once I got started, I realized that this is going to be a lot longer then I thought, so you will just have to bear with me!  I really hope that this series helps those of you who are new to homeschooling, and even those who have 'been there, done that', but are new to unit studies.  This first post will be all about planning!

I have tried several different methods for planning the day-to-day use of unit studies.  Now, I know some people just do whatever works, until they are done or tired of it.  That just doesn't work for me.  I really need to know what I am going to be doing each day when I wake up, or we will get nowhere and spend all day doing it!

I tried workboxes.  That didn't work for me.  For a lot of reasons, but the biggest being the simple fact that we don't have room for them.  I also found it silly to use boxes for them when I am there directing each step anyway, and they do all their subjects together.

I tried planning out each book, page and website for each day.  That certainly didn't work for me.  Too much time.  Too strict.  Much too complicated.

So finally I have settled on this method which actually seems to be working for me!  My school planning consists of two main things- a file folder and a planning sheet.

We will start with the planning sheet.  It has each child's subjects down the side, and also combined subjects.  This is what I have on my page:

• Bible
• Bop, math
• CJ, math
• Bop, phonics
• CJ, phonics
• Unit study for that week
• Language, spelling, handwriting (We do not do each one of these on each day) 
• Tot School for Baby Girl

There is one column for each day of the week and in this I write my ideas for the week.  I add in computer learning and anything that does not fit into my file folder.  I also write in things like math drills and worksheets, so I won't forget them even if they go in the folder.

The file folder:  This is a plastic organizer that you can get for a couple bucks anywhere.  On mine, I cut off the little flap that comes down over the top becasue it just got in my way.  (Unfortunately, mine is pink just like this one.  I wish it wasn't...)  :) 

I labeled each divider with a day of the week, Monday thru Friday.  There is one pocket left in the back that is unlabeled.  This is the physical part of the plan.   After I get my planning sheet filled in, I put whatever I can into the pockets.  Worksheets, small readers, math pages, lapbook and notebook pieces, all go in for each day.  This is as close to workboxes as I get.

This is the way I quickly plan each week and have everything ready.  Anything that does not fit into the folders, such as computer time and our Bible study program, is on the planning sheet so I won't forget it.  I keep the books that we use everyday on my shelf right next to the file folder so they are ready to go.  On most days I actually write down what computer program/website I want them to use, and what part of it.  This really helps keep me on track with our online reviews, which we have quiet a few of.

Every morning I can just pull out my folder and planner, and start working.  We start at the top, and just work our way through.  Everything is there, ready, so I don't waste time looking for that worksheet or this book.  When we are done with one subject we cross it off and go right to the next.  This helps keep us all on track (and in the same room!  They like to run off) because there is no waiting time to get distracted.

Next, I will talk more about why I don't use the workboxes anymore and how I physically organize our very crowded space.  Come back soon!

What do you use to make your school days run smoothly?  Are there any must-have products that you use to plan and organize?

Magnificent Moon Download N Go Review

I see the moon and the moon sees me...
God bless the moon and God bless me!

I have always loved looking at the moon.  There is nothing like a crisp September night with the smell of leaves on the air and a huge orange harvest moon rising.  Or how about the cold clear winter nights with a hazy full moon turning the snow glistening blue-white.

We were very excited to try out one of the newest Download N Go products, Magnificent Moon.  Chock full of lunar knowledge, such as the Apollo missions, moon science, physics, and the history of astronomy, you will love this unit study!  There is a touch of the unexpected, here, as well.  Math, Bible, and lots of copywork.  These unit study lapbooks are wrote by Amanda Bennett and you can buy it for $7.95 at Amanda Bennett's website.

We enjoyed learning about an astronaut each day, and were surprised to find that so many of them were Christians.  You can even keep your own little journal of moon observations for the week.  This would be especially suited to those who like longer studies, since it would be more effective to observe the moon each night for a month, and record all of the changes.   We learned that there aren't just phases that change, but also the location of the moonrise and the timing changes, with the seasons and months.

One thing you will notice if you buy very many Download N Go units is how comprehensive they are.  There is something here for every child.  These unit studies are designed for children in grades K-4, but they are easily stretched a bit for kids who are younger or older.  You can pick and choose the parts you want to use according to your child's abilities and interests.  Magnificent Moon includes simple word searches, copywork, math story problems, lapbook pieces, worksheets to fill in, pictures to draw, and hands-on experiments.

We did this fun experiment to prove one of the basic laws of motion- an object at rest stays at rest.  Hit the plate off the glass, and the egg falls into the cup.  Success!!

One of the neat things about Magnificent Moon is the nice combination of subjects which will appeal to a lot of different interests.  There are rockets and astronauts for the little boys, and things like moon phases for the little scientist.  I thought that CJ might be the only one to truly enjoy this download, but they Bop loved it as well.  Of course, she always likes the drawing pages but she actually liked the rocket-and-astronaut stuff too.  Just goes to show you how easily we can short-change our kids by putting them in boxes!  The only thing that did not go over so well with them?  Copywork.  I decided that they needed to do copywork every day this week, and Bop was less then thrilled.  I thought it was great, though!  :)

I thought that in this review I could answer one of the common questions about using the Download N Go unit studies.

How do you deal with all the printing?  

Well, there is a lot of printing with a Download N Go.  Actually, there's a lot of printing with most digital unit studies, unless you are sitting at the computer to do them. And that is exactly how Download N Gos work for us.

I sit down and go through the study before we start and print off all the pages I want.  I generally try to do this on Thursday or Friday the week before, so I can be all ready.  I start with day one and I just go through and find anything that I know I want them to do- for us this means drawing pages, lapbook pieces, puzzles (like crosswords) and some of the worksheet pages.  I typically stick to the workbook pages with the most 'meat' to them.  That helps me avoid printing off the WHOLE thing.  Which I would love to do, but can't afford.  :)  And while that would be great, you don't need to do that to enjoy these great learning tools.

Then when it is time to do that day's lesson, we just pull up the unit and read through it.  We can use the links that way, and when we get to a page that I have printed off, I just have them take them to the table to do.  Some other things you can do to save ink and paper:

• Print in black and white (especially for worksheets)
• Use the 'draft' printing option
• Print worksheets and other 'throw-away' things on the back side of already-used paper
• Only print off those things that you know your kids will use
• Have your children answer the worksheet-type questions verbally

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Download N Go Winter Wonders Review

Snowflakes, sweaters, hot chocolate, pine trees...  The crisp, cold air and the frosty windows- it must be Winter Wonders!  We thoroughly enjoyed our Autumn Treasures study last fall, so it was exciting to get to learn all about Winter with Download N Go as well!

The Download N Go unit studies include everything you need- you can literally download it, and then go with it! I really appreciate the fact that even though extensive book lists are included they aren't required.  It is so frustrating to spend money on a unit study and then find out that you have to spend more money on a large stack of books that are vital the the study!  All you need for the Winter Wonders is the study and an internet connection.  All of the information needed can be found in the links included.

You will find all of the expected topics in Winter Wonders, such as temperature and polar animals.  But there are also unexpected surprises, too, like learning about Snowflake Bentley!  Who is this "Snowflake man", you ask?  Well, I guess you will have to get Winter Wonders and learn all about him!

One of my favorite parts of the seasons series is the encouragement to get outside and enjoy a nature walk each day.  There is so much to learn right outside your window, and- particularly in this cold time of year, we often forget to go out as much as we should.  We haven't taken our walk every day this week, but we spent more time outside then we would have if we weren't doing this Download N Go.  They even include little journaling pages to document your walks and all the great finds you come across!

The video links in Winter Wonders were so fun to watch, especially since winter is generally very dry and sunny in our part of the world.  (even though it's still cold.  That's just not fair!)  :)  I love watching the videos, and the kids really like them as a change from me reading the facts to them.  We especially appreciate the videos that are informational because the little ones seem to retain the learning so well.

The back of the Download N Go units have some fun lapbook pieces, and Winter Wonders includes pretty recipe cards and a pocket for them.  We had fun writing down our favorite winter recipes.  There are also lots of links at the end of each day and a big list at the end of the study.  These are great for stretching the  unit  into a couple weeks or even a month.  If you put the book suggestions to use, there are even more ideas.  Some of the units include coloring  pages, puzzles, videos, websites and more.

There were a lot of fun worksheets and coloring pages in this unit, but our favorite were the pages for day four.  We got to learn about several winter animals, and there are backgrounds for drawing them on and worksheets to fill in about each one.  And, like always, there are lots of beautiful pictures, poems, quotes and Bible verses to enrich your learning.

Don't forget to visit the Download N Go blog to read more reviews about this and other great unit studies, 

and check back often for more reviews here! 

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Download N Go Creation Camouflage GIVEAWAY!

My children have had a fascination with camouflaged animals ever since we first saw a giant moth that had the habit of seeming to sink into tree bark when it landed.   They were about 2 and 3, and they still remember it.  So I was very excited when I found out that we were going to be reviewing Creation Camouflage!  Then I saw the table of contents-

Day 1: Hiding in Plain Sight 
Day 2: Getting to Know the Rain Forest 
Day 3: What Is in the Desert? 
Day 4: Hiding in the Ocean 
Day 5: Cool Things About the Tundra

See Day 4?  Ocean animals!  I didn't tell CJ about it until the day before, because I know I would hear about nothing else if I did!  I knew that the kids would have so much fun with this that they wouldn't even mind doing it during out school break.  I don't think they even thought about it, they were too busy having fun!

One thing I enjoy about the Download N Go series is the organization.  You don't really have to do anything ahead of time with these.  I like to go through them and print out the lapbook pieces and any worksheets we will use, but I wouldn't have to.  You can download one on the day you want to start it, and be busy with it 10 minutes later. You can buy them for $7.95, or buy a bundle and save!  I really like planned-out unit studies, so I was happy to see that Creation Camouflage has one habitat per day.  I was even more excited to see that we would be learning about one of the main animal groups each day, as well!  This unit study is excellent for those learning about animal classification.

I have to say that this was probably our favorite Download N Go yet.  It was such a treat!  The kids asked everyday to do it, and they were sad when it was over.  I am planning to do a longer study using this unit in the summer, using each 'day' for a whole week.  There is just that much good stuff here!  Each day focuses on a habitat, an animal type, and an animal of the day.  This would be so fun to use for a long study!  We didn't have time to use any of the recommended books, or enjoy very many of the worksheets, and we still spent several hours each day on it.

The movies were fabulous, and there were many times we had to watch them over again, just to enjoy them!  I even saved a few to show to Isaac when he got home.  God's creatures are unbelievably amazing!  We also really enjoyed the worksheets in this unit.  They are so beautiful and colorful!  This is one unit study that I would LOVE to print out completely to enjoy.

We especially enjoyed the worksheets with the food items to circle for each animal, and the drawing pages.  These drawing pages have backgrounds or borders for the little ones to draw on, and they really enjoy them.  There were even two "how-to-draw" movies included, which was just great.  All of the Download N Go movies are embedded in their own special page, so you never have to worry about your kids seeing the comments and all the junk in the sidebars at YouTube.  The lovely people at Download N Go pick these movies very carefully, and I have never seen anything in them that I do not want my kids to see (or hear).

You can read more reviews for Creation Camouflage at the Download N Go blog, or go right to the Download N Go website to buy it!

Creation Camouflage is on sale for only $5.95 

until December 18th, so don't wait! 

Giveaway:

The wonderful people at Download N Go have given me an extra copy of Creation Camouflage to give away to one of YOU!  This is a awesome study that you DO not want to miss!  If you want to get it at the sale price, hurry and do it today!  Otherwise, if you are willing to take your chances, ;)  read on!

1.  For your first entry, comment below and let me know what subject you would love to see Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse use for their next Download N Go.

Additional Entries:

2. "Like" Download N Go or Amanda Bennett's unit studies on Facebook. (or both, for two entries!)  Leave me an extra comment telling me you did. 

3. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect and let me know.

4. Facebook about this giveaway and let me know.  

5. Blog about this giveaway for three extra chances to win!  Leave three comments if you do this, to be sure that you get entered three extra times.

Thank you so much for playing, and remember that this giveaway ends early!  I will keep this open until Wednesday, the 22nd of December.  (I don't want to be counting entries on Christmas Eve!)  

HAVE FUN!

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Download N Go Benjamin Franklin Review

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. "

 ~ Benjamin Franklin

This week we took a trip back through time to the beginnings of our country, to learn about the life of Benjamin Franklin, through a Download N Go unit study.  From inventor, to writer, to statesman, few men in history are so interesting.  As one of our Founding Fathers, Ben Franklin is a household name but there is a lot about him that many people don't know.  We learned so many amazing facts this week, and I found out so much I didn't know.

We started off our week by learning a little bit more about Ben's own history.  His birth, his family, and his younger years.  We also got to explore some of our own history and the children loved filling in their own family tree.  Through the next few days we pressed on to more intriguing learning.  Inventions.  Discovery.  Politics.  Great thought and great risk.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." ~ Benjamin Franklin

I especially enjoyed the Ben Franklin quotes scattered throughout the lessons, and the kids really thought about what they meant.  It brought many opportunities to discuss and reflect.  They even had some of them memorized by the time we were done with the week!  Bop knew right away what "A penny saved is a penny earned" meant.  I found it interesting that so many of the sayings that we use every day are attributed to Benjamin Franklin and his Poor Richard's Almanac.

There were some really neat videos included in this Download N Go, and I am always so relaxed clicking on the links in the study.  They go right to an embedded video on a Download N Go page, so there are no nasty sidebars.  We got distracted by some of the other links, since they had some great historical sites included.  The web is so great for rabbit trails.... :)  The links in these Download N Gos are really nice.  They always have the best information, and a lot of times there is so much there that we bookmark it to come back later.

Some of the kiddo's favorite activities included designing a sign for Franklin's first printing shop, drawing a picture of "what we want to be when we grow up", and inventing something new. I enjoyed how personal a lot of this unit was, inspiring reflection and critical thinking.  Download N Go units all have a variety of worksheets for many different learning types and abilities.  We enjoy the drawing pages and the lapbook pieces, but others get more use out of the workbook-style pages with places to record the learning that is happening.  Our kids are not really into writing much yet, so I only use a few of the worksheet and copy work pages, but they are great for older kids.  Add in a few of your own assignments or books and this unit could be stretched upward into higher grades really easily.

I mean really, I am the teacher, and I still learn a lot with each and every Download N Go!  :)

Don't forget to check out the other reviews for Ben Franklin on the Download N Go blog!  You can also see all of the other Download N Go titles on the Download N Go website. There is a huge selection, so take your time!  

Now is your chance to buy Ben Franklin on sale for only $6.25 until November 22!  Be sure to head on over the the blog to get your children learning all about this intriguing Founder!

 "A penny saved is a penny earned."

 ~ Benjamin Franklin

I received this product free of charge for review purposes.I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Download N Go Expedition Australia review

Expedition Australia

Do you want to take a trip across the Pacific ocean?  Let's go to the "sun-burnt land", down-under, the outback: Australia.  This is one of our favorite Downoad N Gos, and I just find the study of other countries and cultures so important.  I know several people are taking a 'trip around the world' with Download N Go this year, and that sounds like a lit of fun to me.  Expedition Australia will fit right in with that!

There is so much material here- links, worksheets, drawing pages, maps and more.  All of the Download N Gos are priced at only $7.95, and are intended for a one week study.  These studies are divided into days, but not really into lesson plans, so to speak. Instead, they are laid out for the child and parent to read and research together, with all the subjects neatly melding into each other in a gentle sequence. Targeted for grades K-4, I think if you had older children you could easily modify it a bit so that they could join in the fun.

I was delighted to find that we were going to study social studies, (In the form of holidays, geography, and language differences) science (Australian animals), math (temperature, time and currency) Literature (poetry) and art (drawing). The unit includes lapbook components, and then we stapled the worksheets together and added them, too.  Expedition Australia seemed to abound with Bops favorite Download N Go feature- the drawing pages.  They have so much fun drawing in pictures to go with the backgrounds and borders that are provided!

This unit features an Australian Animal of the day, which is great for animal loving families like ours.  Therea re so many amazing animals in this world, and it is one of the great privelegde of our modern world to be able to learn about them on ways never before possible.  I just love watching the Download N Go videos.  They are all embedded in a Download N Go screen, so there are no yucky comments or ads to watch for (Except for the occasional Google ad which can quickly be clicked away.)

We got to learn about temperature and went on some rabbit trails about the seasons and the way the solar system works together.  The seasons are a subject that has been coming up in all of our units this fall and I just love seeing how God uses the versatility of Unit studies to bring things together.  I had not planned in ANY 'space' type units this fall, but I had planned them for next spring because that is an area that CJ is interested in.  Little did I know that God would use all of these unplanned units to teach to CJ's interests!  Just another example of how God loves our children even more then we do.  :)

Worksheet about Kangaroos

Bop's Kangaroo

Now is the time to buy your own copy of Expedition Australia and head for the outback with your own children!  Expedition Australia is on sale for only $5.95 until November 8th, so hurry!  

They also have a contest to win a large map of Australia from National Geographic worth $19.95.

Also don't forget to go to the Download N Go Blog to read more reviews, and check back here soon for more reviews and giveaways!

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download N Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Terrific Tigers Download N Go Review and GIVEAWAY!

What is orange and black and striped all over? Why, tigers, of course! One of God's most beautiful creatures, and, as we have learned, one of the most fascinating as well. We had a great time with this Download N Go. We learned about the 6 sub-species of tigers, where they live, and that they are all critically endangered. (Can you believe I didn't know that? There are only around 4,000 tigers left in the wild!)

Like all of the Download N Gos, Terrific Tigers is a unit study designed to take a week to complete. It is planned out by day, with all the links, video clips, worksheets and everything you need right in the lesson. All you have to do ahead of time is pick out which worksheets and lapbook pieces you want to use, and have them printed out and ready. Did I say lapbook? Yes, the Download N Go units all include lapbook pieces! If you have been wanting to try lapbooking, but don't know where to start, you should think about using a Download N Go. Since all of the planning as already done for you, they are easy for first-timers.

There is a TON of science in Terrific Tigers, including information on habitat, creation, Taxonomy, basic survival, and conservation. But there are other subjects here, too, like in all great unit studies. Geography, history, literature and some math. Writing practice in the form of copywork and creative writing, map skills, and our favorite- drawing! We all really love the drawing frames that the Download N Gos have, and it is one of the only times CJ actually enjoys making art!

CJ's Tiger

One of the first things you will notice when you buy Terrific Tigers is the video links- lots and lots of them! When you click on a video link, your computer will connect to the internet and open a clip that is embedded in a Download N Go web page. This means that you don't have any of the nasty comments, side-bar ads, or 'other movies like this' recommendations. All you get is the movie clip, and they add such a great element to your study. What better, when you are learning about tigers, then to see the majesty of a great cat for yourself?

There is a big variety of worksheets, games, puzzles, drawing pages, and lapbooking pieces in Terrific Tigers. Families can mix and match to get the best combination for each child, with their different learning styles, ages, and interests. Download N Go units are designed for any children in grades K-4th, but with a little creativity older and younger children can both benefit as well. You can also use these units over and over again, with younger children or just later with the same kids. Add to this the fact that a lot of people stretch these units into 2 weeks (or even more), and you get a really versatile product.

Part of our lapbook and copywork:

Read more Terrific Tigers reviews on the Download N Go blog, or you can read all about some of their other titles on the Download N Go website.

Giveaway:

The great people at Download N Go are giving a copy of Terrific Tigers to one of you this week! This is a really fun unit, so you will want to be sure and sign up for a chance to win it! This contest will be open until Friday, the 29th at midnight.

To win: All you need to do is leave a comment telling me you want to win! For extra chances to win, you can do any or all of the following: (Remember to leave a separate comment for each option and make sure I can contact you with your e-mail address.)

• Visit Download N Go and 'follow' them with Google Friend Connect
• Follow me on Google Friends Connect
• Follow me on Networked Blogs
• Post about this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter
• Blog about this giveaway (You get two chances for this!)
• This is a fun one! Let me know which of the big cats is you or your kids' favorite. :)

Remember, if you are a member of the TOS review crew, an employee or independent contractor with The Old Schoolhouse, or a DNG reviewer, you are not eligible for this giveaway!

I received this product free of charge for review purposes.I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.

Rockin' Robots Download-n-Go Review

Rocking Robots!

Do you need a great unit study for an active little boy? Download n Go Rocking Robots is perfect! It incorporates science, history, geography, and lots of fun writing and art- all while learning about those cool robots!

This unit was just so neat, because CJ really was excited about it! He is only four, but this Download n Go was great for him. They are designed for grades K-4th, and we consider him in kindergarten, but sometime there are grade-level things he just can't do. That is not the case with these unit studies! The first school day after we finished up Rockin' Robots, CJ was begging me to do more.

We all really enjoyed the videos, and CJ especially liked the underwater robots. We got to watch one rescue a fish, and he was in awe! Baby Girl participates in unit studies with us, and by the end of the week she was saying "'bot!" when she saw a picture of a robot.

Do you know which great classical painter made the first humanoid robot? What great shipwreck was discovered by a robot? That we know MORE about mars then we do our own oceans, thanks to a robot? What animal a wall-climbing robot was designed to emulate? What country is designing android robots to do basic household chores? What an android robot even IS?

After you are done with Rocking Robots, you will know this, and so much more- about the planets, the ocean, and most of all, about the great creativity of the human mind. :)

Here they are enjoying some of the fun activites- a color by number-

And a cut-and-paste pattern game.

Take a look at some of the other activity and lapbook pages in Rockin' Robots:

Along with fun printables, a really cool lapbook, and exciting movies, Rockin' Robots also has ideas for great hands- on learning! We made a water clock after the pattern of the ancient Egyptions- a bowl (Only ours was a plastic yogurt tub ) with holes for the water to drip through. What does this have to do with robots, you ask? Well, I guess you will just have to buy this delightful unit study and see for yourself!

Our water clock!

Want to read more reviews about Rockin' Robots? Check out the DNG blog, here. Or you can go the their website to download free samples! (You know you want to!)

I received this product free of charge for review purposes.I promise to be honest and fair in my reviews, and I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. You can visit the Download-N-Go blog to read more reviews on this product.